SALVADOR RIGHT REPORTEDLY PLOTTED TO ASSASSINATE U.S. AMBASSADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000700060043-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2005
• Sequence Number: 43
• Publication Date: June 23, 1984
• Content Type: NSPR

roved For R e g>;(sgQ~@5 f j : CIA-RDP91-00901
ON ARTICLE PAGE_APP 1 23 June 198
Salvador Rig/it Reportedly Plotted
To Assassinate U.S. Ambassador
By JAMES LEMOYNE
8peds1 toTL.NewYork Ttma
SAN SALVADOR, June 22 - United
States intelligence sources uncovered a
plot by right-wing Salvadoran extre-
mists to kill the United States Ambas-
sador here last month, according to an
Administration official in Washington
and two sources in El Salvador.
They said Roberto d'Aubulsson,
leader of the National Republican Al-
liance, known as Arena, was among a
small group of Arena members who
were said to have planned to kill the
.Ambassador, Thomas It. Pickering.
[In .,Washington, senior officials
k`confiraied that the Administration
had learned of a right-wing Salvado-
ran plot to assassinate the Ambassa-
dor and that a high-level official had
been sent to El Salvador to issue
warnings to the plot leaders. Page 5.]
The United States Embassy here offi-
cially refused to comment on the re-
port. Mr. Pickering is in the United
States on vacation and could not be
reached for comment. Mr. d'Aubuisson
also could not be reached.
On learning of the plan, the Reagan
Administration sent its special envoy,
Gen. Vernon A. Walters, to El Salvador
to tell Mr. d'Aubuisson of "serious con-
sequences" if it was carried out, ac-
cording to the Administration official
and the sources in El Salvador.
General Walters, according to one of
the sources in El Salvador, met Mr.
d'Aubuisson in the late afternoon of
Mr. d'Aubuisson, a former i army
major, has been linked to right-wing
death squads in the past. A a has
been backed by conservative
down-
ers and businessmen, but it also ap-
pealed to a wider spectrum of Conaer-
tions In United States policy f,!oward
United
Aubuisson and his party
Mr
d'
.
,
1
can Ambassador. But the
granting of a States officials have tried for two
visa appears to be part of the effort to to persuade Mr. d'Aubuisson to apt
`
the democratic Process and his
woo the Arena leader into a more mod-
erate stance.. uontacts with right-wing
Toddy Mr. d'Aubuissoc was reported In the last year American officials
by a member of his party to be in El have also publicized those ex-
Salvador. The party member said Mr tremist contacts to em Mr.
-d'Aubuisson has a visa for the United d'Aubuisson.
? States but has not used it. ? After the Salvadoran Army high
-, Mr. d'Aubuisson Is reported to want command decided to Impose Alvaro
to visit the United States to meet with Magafia, a well-known banter, as
supporters of the Salvadoran exile President after elections for provi-
? i ommunity to reassess Arena strategy. sional government in 1982, eral
? While General Walters, a former Walters reportedly met with M. d.'Au-
deputy director of the Central Intelli- buissonto persuade him to a pt the
son, United States Embassy staff Mr. d'Aubuisson acquiesced and be-
members here were told of an in- came head of the Constituent Assem-
creased risk of attack and were asked bly, a post he held until thisi year's
to take special measures to safeguard presidential contest.
their security, according to one of the After a campaign In which W. d'Au-
sources in El Salvador. buisson called Mr. Duarte a " mmu-
The Arena members were said to nisi" and Mr. Duarte called M. d'Au-,
v anr-dI. buisson a "fascist," Mr. Duae won:
Ouse-t upwere uutag gyp the presidency in early May bvith 54
C.I.A. suport for Mr. d'AubuisscrT;s percent of the voteIr Mr. d'A buisson
received almost 46 percent of the total.
elections in March and early May. Mr. d'Aubulsson and othei senior
d'Aubuisson foal the election to Josd Arena o is a s at 'rat refii5 . o~s~
Napole6n Duarte, head of the Christian
lt
l
tio
h
t
th
~Lsa w
e. e
ec
n resu
a
Democratic Party, who took office )-
ud ha? bee. n ~mr ed, g~ ae
y
rli
nth
thi
er
ea
s mo
.
Role of Senator Helms ence invalidated the vote. As sign of
According to one of the sources in El '14heir anger, they refused_S.Q ell,
Salvador, a letter from Senator Jesse D_uar 'mina ura~4Ii
Helms, Republican of North Carolina, the C.I.A. was re~ortedn May to
complaining of reported American aid' have $961)'_000 to Mrrte's
to Mr. d'Aubuisson's opponents and Christian 17emocratic n00
calling for Mr. Pickering's recall con-
tributed to the Arena members' anger.
On learning of the plot, President
Reagan reportedly called Mr. Helms
May 18 at the United States Ambassa-
dor's residence here. Mr. Pickering
-was also reported to be at the meeting.
?General Walters read?the riot actL' j
the official said. "The message was
that we knew what was going on and it
had better not happen."
,Mr. Walters, who could not be
reached for comment today, also was
said to have told Mr. d'Aubuisson that
he had a place in Salvadoran politics as
an opposition leader if he chose to take
it. In a final move, he reportedly of-
fered. Mr. d'Aubuisson a visa to visit
the United States.. Mr. d'Aubuisson re-
~,ceived a single-entry visitor's visa on
May 31. The United States had previ-
dusty refused to grant it visa to Mr.
d'Aubuisson.
It. is not clear why the United states
gave Mr. d'Aubuisson a visa after the
'.reports of the plot against the Ameri-
into the White House and told him that
he had acted irresponsibly, according
to one of the sources in El Salvador.
Mr. Helms then attended Mr.
Duarte's inauguration at the end of
May and met with Mr. d'Aubuisson.
Senator Helms, who was in Raleigh,
N.C. for a North Carolina Republican
conference, could not be reached for
comment.
However, Senator Helm's chief
assistant, awes u er
legislative J P L d
137.000 National Co ciliation
Ya r Cy~_to SLip~OI't~ts pi
e.W
date Francisco Jose QQue The
.f were reoortesll _ v ig,
bug
Administration officials wee known
to have feared that Congressional sup-
port for El Salvador would have dried
up if Mr. d'Aubuisson had won the
presidency:
Since losing the election, Mr. d'Au-
buisson's party appears to be; suffering
uncertain.
denied a to a one w t Mr. Duarte will hold the presidency
Mr. ffilm had been reuri for the next five years. Ar sa's only
r. Reag o; anyQtb,er r _WhI . H=* chance of. political resurgence would
official forlfcixin? the C1,4 role iA appear to lie in municipal and legisla-
a.~v _o9ri,,,.glgctio I t -4e- tive assembly elections next }fear.
mandirlgMr. Picke 's recalll.
"It is a complete _that he
was called to tie White House," Mr.'
Lucier said. "There was no suggestion
that he had been irresponsible, "
internal. divisions. Some s or party
officials have reportedly res ed and
Mr. d'Aubuisson's leadershi remains
Approved For Release 2005/07/01 : CIA-RDP91-00901 R000700060043-1
 STAT
ARTICLE APPEAREIyroved For Re WetafR5I 49 : CIA-RDP91-00901R000
ON PAGE 23 June 1931t
The general, it was said, was to warn
nited States knew
U1S1 CONFIRMS PLOT P andiwantedhimtocall it off. orthe
TO MURDER ENVOY
Senator Daniel Patrick M an of
New York, vice chairman of the Senate
Intelligence Committee
applauded
,
President Reagan's action in sending
General Walters. "T
he President had
_
Brd
Reagan Sent indicated
a High Official t Senator said. But he in that the intelligence committees had
to Warn Salvador Rightists y been briefed on the episode before
toda.
It Knew of Conspiracy sue "Walters was' there but he didn't
is any threats," said one official.
69
By HEDRICK SMITH
Spede] to 7Le New York limes
WASHINGTON, June 22 - Senior of-
ficials confirmed today that the Admin-
istration had learned of a Salvadoran
I right-wing plot to assassinate the
American Ambassador. They said a
high official had been sent to El Salva-
dor to warn the leaders against carry-
ing out the plot,
te Howe an tale Department
s~p_okesmen rgfus to comment on a
report from El Salvador at the Cen-
tt al I~~n e_lti en Agent '~i8~`un_ or er
a p of t against AmbassaadorThomas R.
The plot was laid to right-wing extre-
mists, including Roberto d'Aubuisson,,
a candidate for President of the Na-
tional Republican Alliance.
1 "'There was concern about plots by
the violent left and the violent right
against various people, including our
own people," a senior official said.
We had pretty good intelligence
about a plot against Pickering by the
far right. It was not clear whether
I d'Aubuisson was actually involved in
the plot or just in a position to stop it."
Reagan Said to Send General
Intelli ence and other civilian otti??
ia-3 W th at President an mod
sent Gen. Vernon A, 4Jttte,7~:
~assa,~o~_~r{'ayt large sp_eciat' in con-
i~t.'R_4P~tlr~gtin mPrirnn
F,,:1,$,r,ivador to meat with h'r d'A i}~ tip
+SStQ. / '
He may have said some harsh words
but he didn't go in and bargain with a
visa to the United States. He didn't
have a visa in hand."
Gen-
eral Reports had offered Mr. Aubuis-
son a visa to the United States and that
one was issued on May 31.
Tip Linked to Senator Helms
One official said, however, that he
was not certain that General Walters
had met with Mr. d'Aubuisson, a for-
mer major, because Mr. d'Aubuisson
was evidently tipped off about the mis-
sion - possibly. by Senator Jesse
Helms, the North Caroline Republican.
"Someone in Washington, either on
Helms's staff or on one of the commit-
tees on the Hill, learned of Walters's
trip," one official said. "The scenario
was for Walters to see d'Aubuisson but
it appears that d'Aubuisson got wind of
Walters's trip. Our reports show d'Au-
buisson in public making statements
So I don't ihrmself Walters any evviolence.
er saw,
d'Aubuisson."
Approved For Release 2005/07/01 : CIA-RDP91-00901 R000700060043-1